Washington Capitals To Acquire David Kampf
The Washington Capitals have acquired forward David Kampf from the Vancouver Canucks for a sixth-round pick, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger.
After trading Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this week, a move that opened up a hole at fourth-line center for the team, the club has filled that hole with Kampf. While Kampf is certainly a downgrade from Dowd, it’s a downgrade the Capitals are likely happy to stomach given the assets they were able to collect for Dowd.
The Capitals face somewhat steep odds this season in their efforts to return to the playoffs, and that’s especially true given the trade of key defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks. But Kampf, who is a pending unrestricted free agent, doesn’t necessarily have to be a one-year rental. At 31 years old, its possible the Capitals have added Kampf with the hope that they can sign him for beyond this season at an affordable rate.
Kampf isn’t much of an offensive producer. In 38 games for Vancouver this season, he’s scored just six points. His career-high in points as an NHLer is 27, coming in 2022-23. But he has been a regular penalty-killer throughout his time in the NHL, and could step right into Dowd’s vacated role on the Capitals’ short-handed unit.
At the cost of just a sixth-rounder, the Capitals were able to add a player who will help them better absorb the loss of Dowd, and also a player who will get the rest of the season to prove he merits a role in Washington beyond 2025-26.
Seattle Kraken To Acquire Bobby McMann
The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Bobby McMann to the Seattle Kraken, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The return heading to Toronto is a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-rounder in the upcoming 2026 draft, according to Frank Seravalli of Victory+.
The move ends McMann’s nearly six-year tenure with the Maple Leafs, a tenure in which he emerged a real developmental success story for the organization. He signed with the team as an undrafted player out of Colgate University, began in the ECHL, and worked his way up the professional ladder to the NHL, where he became a 20-goal scorer.
With his contract set to expire, McMann has been widely reported to be seeking a significant pay raise from his current $1.35MM cap hit. The recent signing of a comparable player, San Jose Sharks winger Kiefer Sherwood, to a five-year, $5.75MM AAV contract may very well have pushed the price tag on a McMann extension past where the Maple Leafs were comfortable going.
With Toronto likely to miss the playoffs for just the second time since drafting Auston Matthews, collecting some assets for McMann became an important goal for the team’s deadline work.
Toronto may have been hoping to receive a first-rounder for McMann, who has 19 goals and 32 points this season, rather than a second-rounder. McMann is widely considered a more valuable player than Minnesota Wild center Michael McCarron, who net the Nashville Predators a second-round pick earlier this week. But it seems as though no team was willing to part with a first-rounder for McMann, and with the deadline looming, the Maple Leafs seem to have decided that a package for McMann that is lighter than they may have hoped is better than retaining him beyond today.
More to come…
Kraken Sign Jordan Eberle To Two-Year Extension
The Seattle Kraken are signing captain Jordan Eberle to a two-year, $5.5MM AAV contract extension, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The deal has a full no-trade clause in each of its two seasons. The Kraken have confirmed Eberle’s new extension.
Eberle, 35, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer at the expiration of the two-year, $4.75MM deal he signed in March 2024. The veteran winger, who is repped by Craig Oster of Newport Sports Management, has been a key top-six contributor for the Kraken over the course of his time there.
An expansion draft selection by the team, Eberle ranks No. 3 in the all-time scoring rankings of the team’s brief history, and No. 2 in goals.
Despite aging deeper into his mid-thirties, Eberle has kept up his reliable levels of production. Contributing regularly on the power play, he’s scored 22 goals and 42 points in 59 games this season, which is a 31-goal, 58-point pace. If he keeps up his pace, those numbers would be Eberle’s best since 2022-23.
While there is likely some concern that Eberle might decline over the course of this extension – he will be 38 at the expiry of this extension – he has already shown an ability to keep up his high standard of play as he’s gotten older. As a result, there should be a reasonable level of confidence in Seattle that he’ll be able to remain a productive contributor deeper into his thirties.
The conversation surrounding the Kraken related to this deadline has been largely centered around the team’s pursuit of a high-end scoring winger. Eberle isn’t that kind of player, and is extremely unlikely to become one as he ages. But he’s a crucial veteran leader for a team that is desperate to make a return to the playoffs, and could very well end up on a line with any high-end scorer the Kraken eventually acquire.
Eberle’s re-signing ensures a degree of continuity in the Kraken’s forward corps, a group that could very well see some turnover, perhaps even within the next few hours.
The Kraken have reportedly been interested in trading 2022 No. 4 pick Shane Wright in their pursuit of a star forward, and he’s unlikely to be the only name the team is willing to part with as part of that chase. In the event the Kraken do make a franchise-altering trade, today’s re-signing of Eberle ensures they’ll be able to keep around a familiar face and leader to help guide their group through the changes.
Photos courtesy of Brett Holmes-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks Claim Curtis Douglas
The Vancouver Canucks have claimed forward Curtis Douglas off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Canucks have already shipped out a veteran forward and more, such as pending UFA Teddy Blueger, could follow. This claim of Douglas adds a player from outside the organization for the Canucks, who could even use him in the fourth-line center role most recently occupied by Blueger.
Douglas, 26, is one of the NHL’s biggest players. The Oakville, Ontario native stands 6’9″, 242 pounds, and that size is an essential component of the value proposition he presents as an NHL player. He’s not much of a scorer, with just two points through 29 career NHL games, and his offense hasn’t fared too much better at the AHL level, either. But his size and strength give him notable upside as a defensive player and a physical threat, two traits teams often covet on their fourth line.
In Vancouver, Douglas will likely receive a clear opportunity to get regular minutes on a team playing out the stretch of a likely last-place season. He averaged under six minutes of ice time per game in Tampa Bay, but is positioned to see that number increase in Vancouver. Set to become a restricted free agent this summer, he’s likely staring at an extremely important set of games for the future of his career as he looks to prove he has what it takes to stick as an NHL player with the Canucks.
New York Islanders To Acquire Brayden Schenn
The New York Islanders are finalizing a trade to acquire veteran center Brayden Schenn from the St. Louis Blues, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
The Islanders have confirmed the deal. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has reported its full terms: the Islanders are getting Schenn for a first-round pick, third-round pick, veteran forward Jonathan Drouin, and goalie prospect Marcus Gidlof. Per Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network, the first-rounder going to St. Louis is Colorado’s 2026 first-round pick, the one New York acquired in the Brock Nelson trade from last season.
Per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, the Islanders were on Schenn’s 16-team no-trade list, but Schenn has decided to allow the trade to go ahead. 
Schenn, the Blues captain, has been at the center of significant trade rumors over the last few months. His inclusion in a trade today, assuming it is completed and confirmed, is part of a wider effort by the Blues to re-organize their competitive efforts in a more future-oriented direction.
While the 34-year-old is under contract for an additional two seasons at a $6.5MM cap hit, the Blues may not believe they are in a position to legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup within that time frame. As a result, they appear to have given Schenn the chance to chase the second Stanley Cup championship of his career on Long Island.
The Islanders sit third place in the Metropolitan Division and have one of the game’s most promising young players leading their resurgence: 2025 No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer. Today’s move confirms the Islanders’ seriousness about competing for a Stanley Cup in the immediate term, even while the future face of their franchise is still just 18 years old.
The addition of Schenn provides a jolt to New York’s depth at the all-too-important center position. The club has most recently been utilizing 21-year-old Cal Ritchie as its second-line center. While the 2023 first-rounder is a promising young player, he’s not an ideal fit for that role on a team that is looking to make a deep playoff run.
Schenn, on the other hand, is an almost perfect fit for that role. While his numbers are down somewhat this year (28 points in 61 games as the Blues have struggled overall) he did manage 50 points last season and has been a steady top-six forward for much of his career. With Schenn likely to be plugged in directly to the Islanders’ second line, the team instantly becomes one of the league’s deepest teams down the middle.
With Bo Horvat manning the first line, Schenn on the second, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Casey Cizikas in the bottom-six, the Islanders not only have a strong group of four centers, they also have the flexibility to keep Mathew Barzal on the wing, where he has excelled.
While the Islanders are without question strengthened by this trade, the deal is not without some risk. Schenn turns 35 in August, and has two more years remaining on his deal. He hasn’t quite played up to the standard of a top-six center in St. Louis this season, but it’s still to be determined whether that says more about where Schenn’s game is at, or about the state of the Blues as a whole. In any case, if Schenn experiences age-related decline that impacts his playing abilities, the Islanders will have paid a hefty price for a player who isn’t what he once was.
With that said, there is also the possibility that the trade rejuvenates Schenn, and the chance to play for a playoff contender gives him something of a second wind. We’ve seen numerous veterans remain capable contributors as they progress deeper into their thirties, capably adjusting how they play to fit how they age. It’s also entirely possible Schenn goes down that path, making it so the Islanders have added a second-line center with more than two years of team control. Putting it that way, a first-rounder, third-rounder, and a prospect is hardly an unfair price to pay.
From the Blues’ perspective, the move falls in line with what has become their hockey operations department’s modus operandi: preparing for the future. With Alexander Steen set to assume lead decision-making authority, today’s trade adds at least one premium future asset to an already growing stockpile.
While they’ll surely miss Schenn both on and off the ice, the move clears the way for 2023 No. 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky to receive even greater on-ice opportunity. If this trade can spark additional growth from Dvorsky, while also adding key draft picks and prospects to the Blues’ system, they’re likely to count it as a win.
The addition of Drouin may have been made to help balance the money being taken on by the Islanders, but there is some rationale behind his addition from the Blues’ side. Set to turn 31 this month, the odds are against him playing a role on the next contending Blues team. But with St. Louis likely to strip away further veteran talents this summer, there is the chance Drouin receives an opportunity to play regularly in the top-six in Missouri. He’s a player who never quite fit on Long Island, but excelled playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps he finds similar chemistry with Blues star Robert Thomas down the stretch.
With another year left on his deal at a $4MM cap hit, it’s not totally out of the question that Drouin seizes the opportunity ahead of him with the Blues, and becomes a trade chip for next year’s trade season, which would mean Schenn’s trade could deliver further future value to St. Louis.
Also included in this deal is Gidlof, a big goalie prospect who was a 2024 fifth-round pick. He’s been a tandem goalie in the SHL over the last two years, playing in a total of 41 games for Leksands IF. This season, he has gone 9-15-0 with an .896 save percentage. A little over a year ago, Gidlof was considered one of New York’s better prospects. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked him the No. 3 prospect in the team’s system, writing that he “has legitimate NHL upside.”
With starter Jordan Binnington‘s time in St. Louis potentially set to come to an end at some point over the summer, the inclusion of Gidlof in this deal represents further investment by the team in the future of the goalie position, a position in which the Blues have a somewhat uncertain future.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks To Recall Ty Mueller
The Vancouver Canucks have recalled center Ty Mueller from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, according to CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal. The 23-year-old pivot joins the NHL roster in Vancouver just shortly after the team lost one of its established forwards; the team traded winger Conor Garland to the Columbus Blue Jackets late last night.
If Mueller gets a chance to play in some games for the Canucks on this recall, they will be the first of the 2025-26 season for him. He’s spent all year thus far at the AHL level with Abbotsford, and has scored 11 goals and 28 points in 49 games. That’s right around the scoring pace he was at last season, when he managed 12 goals and 39 points in 64 games.
Mueller has just over 100 games of pro experience to his name, but has been able to get close to being NHL-ready by quickly adapting his game to the professional level. He was a quality college hockey center at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, but it was an open question as to whether he’d have enough to make it to the NHL. He still hasn’t turned into a full-time NHL player to this point, but his progress in the AHL has been encouraging.
The Canucks will get a look at Mueller at the NHL level and be able to better ascertain how close he is to being ready for more regular duty at the game’s highest level. Entering the season, Mueller ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the Canucks’ system according to Elite Prospects.
They projected fourth-line upside for him, and it’s possible recent trade developments have heightened the Canucks’ interest in Mueller’s development. It seems as though quality defensive bottom-six centers have never been more valuable, with players such as Michael McCarron and Sam Carrick returning their teams quality draft picks in the second or third rounds.
With the Canucks set to potentially trade veteran bottom-six pivot Teddy Blueger at some point today, it appears the club might be hoping Mueller can take up an NHL role and quickly develop into the kind of reliable defensive center teams have coveted. Mueller is also a regular penalty killer in Abbotsford, and could also get a look in that role at the NHL level.
In any case, as the Canucks plunge further into a rebuild, the development of younger players such as Mueller will be a key storyline to track that will help determine the kind of timeline the Canucks will have on their road back to contention.
Sharks Sign Alex Nedeljkovic To Two-Year Extension
The San Jose Sharks have signed netminder Alex Nedeljkovic to a two-year, $3MM AAV contract extension, according to a team announcement.
Nedeljkovic, who is repped by Rich Evans of Wasserman, was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, at the expiration of the two-year, $2.5MM AAV deal he signed in the summer of 2024. The deal contains a $1MM signing bonus for its first year, per PuckPedia.
The Sharks acquired Nedeljkovic from the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer for a third-round pick, with the intent of pairing him with star young netminder Yaroslav Askarov. Nedeljkovic has been the less-used goalie in the tandem, playing in 26 games compared to Askarov’s 38.
Despite the smaller workload, he’s acquitted himself well in San Jose, going 11-9-2 with a .902 save percentage. Those are similar numbers to what he posted in 2023-24 with the Penguins, though he did take a step back in 2024-25, which prompted his trade to California
With Nedeljkovic now signed for an additional two years, it appears the Sharks are content to move forward with their current tandem of him and Askarov. The team does have top goalie prospect Joshua Ravensbergen waiting in the wings, but he’ll likely take a few more years to reach the NHL, with a stop developing in college hockey still to come.
If all goes according to plan, this Nedeljkovic signing will bridge the Sharks to the point where Ravensbergen may be NHL-ready, and give the team a veteran option in the crease while its younger goalies continue to develop.
From a financial perspective, this signing represents a modest pay raise for Nedeljkovic, and is hardly an unfair cap hit for what he provides on the ice. While he has been prone to bouts of inconsistent play at times in his NHL career, he’s shown enough throughout his over 200 contests at the game’s highest level to lend confidence to the idea that he still has several more years of quality play ahead of him. With today’s signing, at least two of those years will now be spent in San Jose.
Colorado Avalanche Acquire Nicolas Roy
The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs, in exchange for a conditional 2027 first-round pick and a conditional 2026 fifth-round pick. The conditions on both picks read as follows:
In the event Colorado’s 2027 first-round selection is in the top-10 of the 2027 NHL Draft, Colorado will send its unprotected 2028 first-round pick to Toronto. Colorado currently holds three fifth-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft; the lowest of those three picks will be transferred to Toronto as part of the transaction.
Yesterday, Frank Seravalli reported that the Maple Leafs’ asking price of a first-round pick plus a prospect for Roy had “held steady,” and that Toronto was unwilling to retain salary at that price. The Maple Leafs ultimately got the first-rounder they sought, though the fifth-round pick will have to suffice in place of a prospect. 
The move ends what was a brief tenure in Toronto for Roy, who was acquired over the summer as part of the Vegas Golden Knights’ acquisition of star winger Mitch Marner. Roy had been a solid middle-six center in Vegas, scoring 15 goals and 31 points in 71 games in 2024-25 and 41 points in 70 games in 2023-24.
His numbers took a tumble in Toronto, where he has just five goals and 20 points in 59 games, but his resume remains strong nonetheless.
That’s especially true considering he’s under contract for an additional year at an entirely affordable $3MM cap hit. Roy was also regularly playing on the penalty kill in Toronto, ranking No. 3 among Maple Leafs forwards in short-handed time on ice per game.
Roy is likely to slot in as Colorado’s No. 3 center, lining up behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson. As previously mentioned, he excelled in a similar role in Vegas, and given the team control afforded by his contract, it appears the Avalanche have their top three centers locked in for the next two playoff runs, at the minimum. His addition could also help the already-stellar Avalanche penalty kill.
While a first-round pick isn’t a cheap price to pay for any player, it looks to be a fair one for Roy. While his numbers are down, he should be able to capably occupy the No. 3 center role with some special teams value. That’s not an insignificant role whatsoever, and adding Roy now is more valuable to the Avalanche than selecting a player with that first-round pick likely would be. Colorado is looking to maximize its odds of winning another Stanley Cup with core players such as MacKinnon and Cale Makar in their prime, and adding Roy certainly helps in that pursuit.
From Toronto’s perspective, this trade begins what could be a larger effort to sell players and regroup with an eye to the future. The offseason loss of Mitch Marner, among other factors, helped destabilize what has been a consistent regular-season juggernaut over the last decade. Toronto looks more likely than not to miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2015-16, the year they earned the No. 1 pick and right to select franchise face Auston Matthews.
Landing a first-round pick for Roy will allow the team to bolster its prospect pool, which entered the season ranked No. 27 in the NHL by Elite Prospects. The team could also flip the pick for a younger player who is at or near NHL-readiness, in order to better support a competitive timeline centered around its existing stars.
In any case, this move is one that makes considerable sense for both involved teams, and it will be interesting to see what decisions Toronto makes moving forward as it navigates a wholly uncertain future.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nashville Predators Recall Three Players
After trading away three players in the last few days, the Nashville Predators have begun to turn over their roster towards younger players. The team announced today that they have recalled center Fedor Svechkov, winger Reid Schaefer, and defenseman Ryan Ufko from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Each recalled player corresponds with a veteran the Predators have dealt away this week. The Predators traded big center Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild, and in doing so, lost their regular fourth-line center and a player who ranked No. 1 among team forwards in short-handed ice time per game. 
Svechkov, 22, is a 2021 first-round pick whose game has long been built around a foundation of strong two-way play. While he has only played spot duty on the penalty kill at the NHL level, he’s seen more regular short-handed time at the AHL level. It’s possible the move of McCarron is what opens the door for Svechkov to get a longer look in that role with the Predators.
Svechkov got into 52 NHL games for the Predators last season, and had some impressive moments. He finished with 17 points in 52 games, but looked the part as an NHL player.
Finding a rhythm early this season was a challenge for Svechkov, but the more consistent role afforded by McCarron’s departure could aid in his development at the game’s highest level. Worth noting is the fact that his three-year entry-level contract is set to expire this summer.
By clearing the way for Svechkov to play a more regular NHL role, the Predators will be able to enter negotiations on Svechkov’s next deal with a stronger sense of where he is in his development. Adding a second-round pick from the Wild in the process certainly doesn’t hurt, as well.
The recall of Schaefer, a winger, more directly corresponds with the trade of Cole Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights. Like McCarron, Smith was a fixture on the Nashville penalty kill. And like Svechkov, Schaefer has gotten some regular time on the Milwaukee penalty kill. It’s possible he earns some of Smith’s vacated short-handed minutes, though some of that time could also go to the energetic Ozzy Wiesblatt, who has averaged 0:34 time on ice per game on the penalty kill this season.
Originally a first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Schaefer landed in Nashville as part of the 2023 Mattias Ekholm trade, late in the tenure of Hall of Fame GM David Poile. Schaefer may have more offense to give than Smith did, as he has 15 goals and 28 points in 31 AHL games this season, to go along with six points in 27 NHL games. Smith’s career-high in terms of offensive production came in 2023-24, when he scored nine goals and 23 points in 80 games.
Finally, the recall of Ufko corresponds with the team’s trade of Nick Blankenburg to the Colorado Avalanche. Ufko has arguably been the biggest riser in Nashville’s system this season. A bit undersized, like Blankenburg, Ufko leads the Admirals in scoring this season with 44 points in 50 games, a notable uptick from the 30 points in 72 games he managed last year. He quarterbacks the top power play unit in Milwaukee, and could fill Blankenburg’s vacated role as the quarterback of Nashville’s second power play unit. Veteran Brady Skjei could also see time there, though the Predators may be more inclined to test their younger players in that role.
While some Predators fans may have been discouraged by the Predators’ move to sell off veteran talent in the midst of a playoff race, the reality is their recent moves could very well be in the service of building a contending team in the long-term.
By turning over some key roles, especially on special teams, to promising young talents, the team can more confidently chart its course into the future. Despite the fact that he has announced his upcoming retirement, Predators GM Barry Trotz appears to be focused on investing in the Predators’ future, stocking the team with additional draft picks and providing greater opportunity for key prospects.
Photos courtesy of Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
Golden Knights Acquire Nic Dowd
10:20 a.m.: Vegas’ acquisition of Dowd is now official. The Golden Knights have traded goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 third-round pick to the Capitals to acquire the veteran center.
The price the Golden Knights have paid will likely seem high to some – there are fourth-line centers to be had for prices lower than what the Golden Knights have paid – but it’s not entirely out of line with the prices that have been paid for high-end bottom-six contributors in recent days. The Minnesota Wild paid a second-rounder to acquire quality fourth-line center Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators. Smith, a winger, cost a third-round pick. The Blackhawks received a protected first-round pick for Jason Dickinson, albeit part of a wider deal containing other players.
Put simply: the prices for some of the game’s better role players has been relatively high in recent weeks, and for the Golden Knights to be able to add a player like Dowd, they couldn’t do so without paying a price in line with prior transactions. The fact that Dowd is under team control for an additional season likely made Vegas more comfortable paying this price to acquire Dowd.
From the Capitals’ perspective, this is a quality return for a role player who nonetheless held considerable to the team. The team’s scouting department has made the most of some of its recent second and third-round picks, landing promising prospects such as Cole Hutson, Ilya Protas, and Andrew Cristall in those rounds, among others. While this deal certainly costs them in the immediate term, they could very well land another quality contributor with one or both of these picks.
The addition of Vikman, a 23-year-old goaltender, also gives them a player as part of the deal as well. Vikman has struggled this season, posting an .866 save percentage across 18 AHL games, and spent most of last season in the ECHL. The Capitals will hope this change of scenery, and the chance to play either with AHL Hershey or ECHL South Carolina, will help him continue his development.
8:25 a.m.: The Vegas Golden Knights are acquiring center Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports. TSN’s Darren Dreger seconded Pagnotta’s report, adding that while it’s “not done yet,” the deal is expected to be completed this morning.
What Vegas will send Washington to complete the deal has not yet been reported. One would have to imagine it’s likely going to be a draft pick, but where that potential pick might land is still unknown, Dowd’s age and role would suggest mid-to-late-round value, but his consistency, leadership and experience could make him a more valuable asset than some might expect at first glance.
In any case, the move marks the second addition of a fourth-line player the Golden Knights have made this week, after trading for Nashville Predators grinder Cole Smith on Tuesday. With Colton Sissons and Keegan Kolesar already locked in on the team’s fourth line, in addition to Smith, there doesn’t appear to be an immediate need for an additional fourth-line player.
With that said, it could be argued that Vegas does have a need for an additional natural center. Against the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, the Golden Knights lined up with Mitch Marner, a longtime winger, as their second-line center. 
By adding Dowd, the team can shift Marner back to the wing, and have a clear set of four centers: Jack Eichel for the first line, Tomas Hertl for the second, Colton Sissons for the third, and Dowd for the fourth.
The move also gives the Golden Knights some more insulation against the injury suffered by William Karlsson, as Karlsson remains sidelined with a lower-body injury.
Dowd’s addition to the lineup gives the Golden Knights more protection against the possibility that Karlsson’s absence might extend beyond what may have been initially expected.
Making $3MM against the cap on a contract that runs through next season, Dowd’s addition isn’t a mere rental. Vegas could go on two playoff runs with the player. Whether Washington has retained any salary is not yet clear, though they do have all three retention slots available.
Dowd’s merits as a fourth-line center are immediately evident. For the last half-decade, Dowd has finished each season scoring double-digit goals and around 25 points. Those aren’t big numbers by any means, but it’s healthy secondary scoring from someone who largely receives deployment in defensive situations.
His offense is down somewhat this year, as the Capitals as a whole have struggled, but his value as a defensive center remains intact. He’s leading all Capitals forwards in short-handed time-on-ice per game, playing 2:40 per game. He led the team in that metric last season as well. In 2024-25, Washington had the league’s No. 5 penalty kill with Dowd as a key cog, though it has dropped to No. 19 this season.
While Dowd is winning slightly under half of his draws this season, he remains someone coaches trust in late-game situations protecting a lead, and has even landed a few stray Selke Trophy votes in each of the last two years.
In Vegas, he’ll be able to potentially alleviate some of the burden of penalty-killing placed on leading center Jack Eichel. Eichel on his own is a strong defensive center, but the team may believe he could benefit down the stretch from being able to focus more singularly on creating offense.
While the price the Golden Knights paid to add Dowd remains unclear, what is clear is that the Golden Knights are preparing for what they hope is another long playoff run. Reaching the playoffs has been the baseline standard in Vegas, and long runs have been a frequent activity for the franchise. Dowd is the exact kind of veteran player teams covet for those runs.
From the Capitals’ perspective, it’s difficult to fully categorize their motivation to make this deal when the value they’re receiving in return is still unknown. With that said, given that the team is unlikely to reach the playoffs this season, trading Dowd allows the player to play playoff hockey this season, which is not a small thing for a player set to turn 36 in May. The passage of time is a looming threat no athlete can fully prevent, and as a result, Dowd has only so many years of NHL hockey left in him. Trading him now gives him the chance to chase a Stanley Cup in Vegas, a notable thing as he joined the Capitals the year after their victory over Vegas in the 2018 final.
In addition, trading Dowd opens up key penalty-killing minutes, as well as a fourth-line role, for another, potentially younger player to seize. 26-year-old Brett Leason was a regular penalty-killer for the Ducks last season, averaging 1:42 short-handed time on ice per game in 2024-25. Save for six games, he’s spent all of 2025-26 at the AHL level, posting 34 points in 39 games for the Hershey Bears.
It’s possible the trade of Dowd is the transaction that puts Leason back in the NHL, where the Capitals can use the final portion of the season to assess whether that role can be a long-term fit for their 2019 second-round pick.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images